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Stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday on optimism that the US government shutdown was nearing an end and on hopes of another Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

Germany's Bayer said Wednesday it had set aside more money to deal with long-running legal woes related to weedkillers, even as investors cheered better-than-expected quarterly earnings.

The United Nations said Wednesday that 42 migrants were missing presumed dead after a rubber boat capsized off the Libyan coast last week.

Cambodia and Thailand traded accusations of fresh clashes along their border on Wednesday, after Bangkok said it was pausing the implementation of a US-backed peace deal.

Residents in the Pakistani capital Islamabad were facing tightened security checks on Wednesday in the wake of a suicide bombing that left top officials vowing to halt the rise in deadly attacks.

Barcelona all-time great Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan giants is "unrealistic", the club's president Joan Laporta said Wednesday.

Germany's Bayer said Wednesday it was confident of "significantly" containing long-running legal woes related to a weedkiller by the end of next year, as it reported a narrower quarterly loss.

A major corruption scandal and mounting accusations that the Ukrainian presidency is using the judiciary to intimidate and silence critics has rocked Kyiv, presenting a significant test for Volodymyr Zelensky almost four years into the Russian invasion.

Former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala went on trial in France Wednesday over atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's bloody eastern conflict more than two decades ago.

Leaders of the world's largest economies meet in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23 for the G20 summit, being held for the first time in Africa.

Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as the US shutdown nears an end and after fresh jobs data boosted the chances of a third successive Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

When G20 leaders touch down in Johannesburg this month, they will be greeted by a city scrubbed, patched, and polished, all part of a last-minute summit gloss thrown over years of neglect.

Global wine production is on course for a modest recovery in 2025 after suffering a sharp downturn last year, the industry's international body said Wednesday.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Wednesday that justice minister German Galushchenko had been suspended amid a corruption scandal in the country's energy sector.

Star African strikers Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and Bryan Mbeumo of Cameroon want to grace the 2026 World Cup tournament, but only one of them can succeed.

Tanzanian politicians are in shock over the massacre of hundreds of young protesters during its recent election, insiders told AFP, but are too afraid to speak out as a tiny cabal of hardliners around the president takes control.

Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral, a favourite feature of postcards from the Czech capital, is next year set to inaugurate a long-awaited organ that befits its Gothic splendour.

Pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood was cleared to continue his preparations for the first Ashes Test against England after sending a scare through the Australian camp on Wednesday when he went for a hamstring scan.

Bangladeshi food delivery rider Sabbirrul Alam has stopped making night-time deliveries on his bike in Bucharest ever since a man hit a fellow countryman on the street, shouting "Go back to your country!" and "You are an invader!"

Former Congolese rebel leader Roger Lumbala goes on trial in Paris Wednesday over atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's bloody eastern conflict more than two decades ago.

Turkey on Wednesday said all 20 people onboard a military cargo plane that crashed in Georgia on its return from Azerbaijan had died.

Renewable energy is still expanding faster than fossil fuels around the world despite policy changes in the United States, with oil demand possibly peaking "around 2030", the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Shubman Gill's India will look to extend their Test domination at home when a two-match series begins against world champions South Africa on Friday in Kolkata.

Australia suffered a double injury scare Wednesday ahead of the first Ashes Test against England with pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott both undergoing assessments, reportedly for hamstring issues.

Skipper Ben Stokes hailed Joe Root as England's greatest batsman Wednesday and backed him to fire in the Ashes against Australia, while hyping up his team's vaunted pace attack.

It has become nearly impossible for people to tell the difference between music generated by artificial intelligence and that created by humans, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The effort to end the longest-ever US government shutdown heads Wednesday toward a final vote, as President Donald Trump declared victory in the political face-off and rival Democrats tore themselves apart over the deal.

Tyrese Maxey and hometown hero Justin Edwards sparked the Philadelphia 76ers over Boston 102-100 on Tuesday while reigning champion Oklahoma City improved their NBA-best record to 11-1.

A Cambodian conglomerate whose founder has had more than $15 billion of allegedly ill-gotten assets seized said it "categorically rejects" claims he amassed his fortune running an internet scam empire.

Captain Ben Stokes denied Wednesday that England were undercooked for the Ashes series against Australia after a chorus of criticism led by legends Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott.

Russia's government lost on Wednesday a legal bid at Australia's High Court to build a new embassy less than a kilometre from the country's parliament.

Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the east African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities.

From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs -- and profound ethical concerns.

A Gabon court on Wednesday sentenced the former first lady and son of the oil-rich country's deposed leader Ali Bongo to 20 years in prison following a two-day graft trial.

Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as the US shutdown nears an end and after fresh jobs data boosted the chances of a third successive Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

Syrupy aromas drift across the guarded compound of Bangladesh's only licensed distillery, a state-owned producer posting record profits in the Muslim-majority nation, where Islamists are staging a political comeback.

When families of those killed in Nepal's deadly September protests that toppled the government demanded justice, the anguish felt painfully familiar to Sunamati Chaudhari.

France's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Thursday will be a poignant occasion as it takes place on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks.

A Russian court on Tuesday sent an 18-year-old street musician who performed anti-war songs to jail for a third time as the Kremlin mounts a no-limits crackdown on any signs of dissent or opposition.